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Ariston Cafe
Category: Restaurants American (Traditional) American (Traditional) [Edit]
413 N Old Rt 66Litchfield, IL 62056
(217) 324-2023
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
13 reviews for Ariston Cafe
13 reviews in English
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Review from Jennifer S.
Bartlett, IL
Oh Ariston Cafe, why do you have to be so far away from me? I was in the area for a couple days and wanted to avoid another chain restaurant. Everyone that I asked, told me to go to the Ariston. I am so glad that I did!
So cute! The wait staff was adorable, helpful, prompt, extremely attentive and just overall wonderful! I was dining alone, but that was perfectly fine here. My iced tea glass was never empty. The waitress suggested a crispy rice noodle shrimp appetizer with a tasty side sauce. It was delicious! The soup & salad bar was nice. Nothing fancy, but fresh. I moved on to the fried chicken with American homefries. Perfection. The homefries almost brought me to tears. They were just like my Grandma used to make. AND, all white meat was only $.50 more! YUMMY!!! Finally, the lovely waitress brought over the dessert tray. For $3.95, I could have a delicious dessert. I was stuffed. But, I learned that about half of them were homemade, so I took a homemade cherry cheesecake slice/slab back to the hotel with me.
Don't hesitate to head to the Ariston Cafe! Smile, enjoy the hospitality and great food!Listed in: Thanks Yelp!
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Review from Jon T.
Updated - 2/1/2012 2 Check-ins Here
We stopped for lunch again and again had a good café lunch. Ariston remains a cut above the standard roadside cafes. This time I had a Pork Tenderloin sandwich. At first I thought it was a ground and fabricated. I decided it is just extremely well tenderized. The tenderloin was OK, about an average offering. The over tenderizing leaves it with almost no texture and as a result the meat was flavorless. I did like that it was served with good fresh lettuce leaves and tomato slices, which is a little unusual. Mine was slightly over fried, but the lettuce and tomato kept the sandwich moist.
Ms T enjoyed her gyro. I think the origins of the café are Greek so I guess we should not have been surprised. It had plenty of juicy slices of meat. We topped it off with a molten chocolate cake. They have a lot of great looking homemade desserts and we could not pass it up.
Food here is a solid three plus stars. I round up for the very good service and history of the place. For café food, this is the place to stop.Listed in: Small Town Midwest, Breaded Pork Tenderloins
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/24/2009
I have driven along I-55 from St Louis to northern Illinois multiple times per year for the past ten… Read more »
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Review from Dawn M.
3/31/2011 2 photos
Highly recommended if you are on a Route 66 tour - or just driving down the 55 and in need of lunch or a hit of sugar.
We had read about the restaurant in a Route 66 posting and saw their good rating on Yelp, so made a point of stopping in for dessert on the drive home.
I'm giving this place a 5 star rating, for a few reasons:
1) Original, well maintained decor and style.
2) Great historical value
3) Route 66 souveniers
4) Good "home cooked" food - yum!
5) The people
Let me say more:
The building is unassuming from the outside - there are a few hints to the restaurant's relevance to Route 66 but they are subtle.
Walk in, and - other than the people - you feel a bit transported back in time. The booths are original, as is the lattice work and other elements - all wonderfully maintained. Stop and chat with the son of the original owner, and he'll show you the ledgers from when the restaurant was built and a menu from the year he was born.
They've embraced their contribution to Route 66 history, and have on hand Route 66 souvenirs - t-shirts, pins, mugs, hats etc.
While we were too full from two days of non-stop eating in St. Louis, we were able to wolf down desserts - all made on the premises and all fresh. Yum! Looking over the menu there was lots to choose from, and we'll stop again if we are in the area to check out more of the menu.
The people: Our whole trip has been filled with great people. This restaurant topped it off, from our very wonderful young waitress, to the current owner, who, as mentioned above, stopped and chatted with us, telling us about the restaurant, asking us where we are from, and telling us about the visitors he gets. This man takes the time to talk to many of his guests - he knows where they are from and who they are personally. A perfect hospitality industry talent, doing what he was meant to do. (What I'm saying is: I respect the man.)
The package, as a whole, gets my 5 star vote.
Would I recommend: Yes - it is a Route 66 heritage gem.
Would I return: Yes. -
Review from Cyndee T.
Chicago, IL
10/22/2011
Stopped here on our drive between St. Louis and Chicago because we found it on Yelp. Probably wouldn't have gone otherwise, but it was great home cooked food. The restaurant is a bit dated, but everything was clean and the menu and food presentation was modern. Everything we got tasted really good. Unfortunately the prices are modern too but not anything you wouldn't expect from chain restaurants - total for 3 of us (2 adults and 1 kid) for 3 entrees, 3 drinks and 2 desserts was around $35. Would definitely go back if we were in the area again.
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Review from Julia W.
3/26/2010 1 Check-in Here
Easily the very best patty melt I've ever encountered.
I would only expect the best, though, for a Rt. 66 landmark that's been around since 1924! They've got to be doing a few things right at the Ariston Cafe--and lucky for me, the patty melt was one of them.
We make the trip from Chicago to St. Louis on a pretty regular basis and try to avoid chain restaurants when our hunger gets the best of us (with the exception of Culver's 'cause I just can't stay away). On our last trip, we *almost* passed up the Ariston Cafe for another little family restaurant, but I'm so glad we gave this historic restaurant a try.
I expected a roadside diner, but Ariston Cafe is actually a "fancy" small town restaurant! Dim lights, white table cloths, specials boasting filet mignon and portabello mushrooms, full bar and wine menu--this was not a greasy spoon.
In addition to the dinner specials, Ariston makes everything from Italian to Mexican food to open-faced sandwiches to hamburgers to old-time favorites like liver and onions. They also boast a salad bar, which seemed to be the big draw the night we were there. I skipped all that jazz for the patty melt by which all other patty melts will be judged--crisp, buttery, grilled Russian rye, sweet grilled onions and a patty with cheese, all likely enhanced by the flavors of their well-seasoned griddle. I'd get it again in a heartbeat.
I'd also like to try one of their ice cream drinks at the bar lining one of the walls, but as it was freezing outside, I wasn't quite in the mood for a Brandy Alexander. I have a feeling the folks at the bar know how to make a good, old-timey cocktail.
And, last but not least, I have to mention the ladies' bathroom. Very clean, extremely pink and nice and toasty, thanks to a space heater right below the (wait for it...) changing table! My little guy appreciated a warmed table on such a chilly day.
If you're tooling around I-55 (or actually cruising Route 66, which I highly recommend) and aren't interested in giving your cash to some blah fast food chain, visit The Ariston Cafe. Have a patty melt for me.Listed in: The Mother Road
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Review from Daniel F.
8/19/2011
If I could give a 4.5 I would. This is a great stop between St. Louis and Springfield, a short distance from I-55 and part of Route 66 lore. I have been here several times over several years, and always been greeted by the owner, had good service, and good food. I especially recommend the patty melt, but they have a salad bar and a wide-ranging menu. I remember spreading out the Sunday paper at my table and felt comfortable doing so. Definitely recommended.
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Review from Tom Z.
7/19/2009
I decided to stop here on my trip down Route 66 from Chicago to Saint Louis. I went simple and had the cheese burger. The burger was good, but nothing special. A burger, fries, and a root beer was $10. Not a cheap burger, maybe a little high for the burger.
There was a post meal offer of deserts. They looked GOOD! Though I was saving my sweet tooth for later.
The people were very nice. The place had a nice old fashion feel to it, a good thing.
If I traveled through here on a regular basis I may go again. -
Review from Michael T.
Stanford, IL
4/24/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Classic diner with really, really good service! We stopped late on Easter Sunday minutes before the 4pm close and started to turn around and the staff stopped us and said to stay. That is unusual today and is one reason the restaurant has been open since 1924. Food is good and the deserts are made on site and are incredible . Good food on old route 66 - don't miss!
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Review from Jim R.
Salem, IL
Found this place by accident, but glad to find. Service was very good, food was the same.
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Review from Venetia M.
Midlothian, IL
5/30/2010
Great little place on Rt. 66. Homey feel, great service, and good food. Decided to stop after reading the reviews. I got the Greek salad and Ma got the hot beef sandwich. Salad was nothing to write home about but it was fresh and the dressing was delish. Ma liked her sandwich and said the beef was very tender. Everyone was saying how good the sweets looked so I tried the in-house made cherry cheesecake, yum! For two to eat it was 26.00, wasn't bad. So if you're on the road don't waste your money on fast food. Sit down, Slow Down and Eat!
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Review from Kristina C.
Chicago, IL
5/9/2011
I stopped enroute back to Chicago on Mother's Day and I was very pleased that I did. The place itself is nothing fancy...it's old, but the food was delicious. The salad and soup is self-serve and I had the best pickled beets ever. The soup was certainly homemade and the bread was super fresh. I ordered the grilled pork-chops, which came with fresh, homemade chunky apple sauce, and they hit the spot. I never expected gourmet dining and I didn't get it, but what I did get was a really well done, simple meal, that was akin to something my grandma would have made. Plus, when I declined another refill of iced tea, siting that I had a long trip ahead of me, the waitress asked if I would like an iced tea 'to go'! Now that's service!!! If I'm passing by that way again, I'm going back to this place again.
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Review from Kelly S.
Saint Joseph, IL
8/6/2010
Drawn in by the neon lights, and not having many other options that weren't chains, we decided to come here. Great quaint diner-like setting. Greeted at the door with a long list of Sunday specials. Our waitress was wonderfully friendly and attentive. Hubby and I both got the fried chicken which was pretty tasty. The kids meals were good size and fair priced. My only complain was the salad bar was pretty skimpy and was the only veggie choice offered with my dinner. Personaly I would have preferred the local corn promoted on the special board. Had fabulous desserts - I had multiberry pie, hubby had apple pie ala mode, and kiddos had peanut butter cup pie. As we were leaving we were invited to sign guest book that had people visiting from 5 countries and 4 different states that day alone. It's a historic rt 66 restaurant so they get lots of out of way visitors. They even have a full bar with several bottled beers domestic and import. Cool place and i'd totally go again!
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Review from Jamie C.
Saint Louis, MO
3/15/2009
Wow - I kind of thought that I would be the first to review this little obscure gem in this little obscure town. Well, my pleasure to indulge you with a review of the Ariston. In case you didn't already know, this is a Route 66 landmark, dare I say classic. Litchfield is home to lake Lou. Our family has a little weekend home on the lake and I have rocking Litchfield for, hell, almost 20 years. Shit, that make me feel old. Here it is: The Ariston rocks America! I will confess that I am bias. I have been here over 30 times easy and have ordered that same thing at least 25 of those times. Can you say Mexican Plate? If you can, you are in good shape. FYI forgo the tamale for an extra taco. That's how to do it - Great small town feel - cheap - good and save room for some cheesecake or other delightful, delectable, sweet morsel that will surely be offered to you post meal. This is not fine dining and it is not supposed to be. It is what it is and it is doing it and doing it well. If you ever take 55 north and get hungry around exit 52, get off the road and go here.
